A BILL TO ban ticket touting for large events has been signed into law by the president.

The legislation will forbid the above price resale of tickets for live events at venues with a capacity of at least 1,000 people.

Penalties of a fine of up to €100,000 or up to two years imprisonment face anyone caught defying the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Bill 2021, which President Michael D. Higgins gave approval to today.

It completes a long journey for the legislation, which was approved by the Cabinet in April having first been proposed by former Fine Gael TD Noel Rock and Fianna Fáil’s Stephen Donnelly during the last Dáil.

It will apply to tickets sold for ‘designated events’, which are to hold at least 1,000 people. Venue operators can get designation by applying to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which will mean that the ticket touting law will then apply to their event.

When a venue is designated, reselling of tickets above the original sales price for that venue will be prohibited.

The legislation will also allow event organisers or venue operators to apply for the designation of events which take place on an annual or other periodic basis in the same venue.

Then, when a ticket is sold for an event which has been designated, or which is to take place in a designated venue, the original buyer must be given clear information that tickets cannot be resold above the face value. This information is to be carried on the ticket itself and through advertisements.

While the tickets can be resold for face value or lower, resellers must also provide information on the original sale price of the ticket and the location of the seat or standing area for the ticket.